Skip to content
Film Competition 2016

Top Tips For Filmmaking

Into Film have a great film that guides you through the filming process.

  1. Think – Think about the purpose of your story and what you want to say.
  2. Plan – Decide the style and genre of your film. Will it be a drama, documentary, animation, commercial or music video? Decide what equipment you will use to shoot your film.
  3. Plot – What’s your story going to be about? Prepare your script, storyboard or improvisation.
  4. People – Who’s going to be in your film? Who will your actors be? Who will you interview for your documentary and what models could you make if choosing to use animation?
  5. Film – Get creative but always remember to frame your shots and record any audio clearly. Always watch back and listen to what you’ve just shot in case you need to re-shoot! Try using a mix of wide, medium and close up shots to make it more interesting.
  6. Edit – Piece together your film and keep within the competition time frame. Make sure your story is clear with its message. If using music,be aware of copyright law!
  7. Send it in – Make sure your masterpiece is sent in by your teacher or youth leader and reaches us by Monday 13th June 2016 either by DVD/ USB or electronically.

Top Tips for Teachers

Into Film have a great film that guides you through the filming process. Whatever device your students choose to use, the rules are the same. This short film shows you how to frame your shots properly, explains the concept of wide, medium and close up shots and how to get the most out of your short film.

Click here to access the film

If your students decide to film using a mobile phone, then there’s a really helpful little demonstration on Vimeo. Again it talks you step by step through the process on how to achieve the best results possible.

Click here to watch it

Important Information on Copyright

Copyright laws protect those who work in the creative industries, allowing them to be rewarded fairly and to continue to create music, film and TV programmes. It also means that the creators are able to invest in new content, albums, films and TV.

Using illegal sites and file-sharing programmes can be risky and if you download digital content illegally, you could be breaking the law and face consequences.

So, if you are intending to use music for your film, it is important that you familiarise yourself with the legal aspects of this. Please do read the copyright section on our website for more information: www.childnet.com/resources/downloading/what-is-copyright-and-why-is-it-important

Please note, we can only accept films which feature original or royalty free music. We will not be able to accept any films that do not adhere to this.